Single-Malt Vs. Single-Grain Scotch Whisky: Is There A Difference?

The Scottish may not have invented whisky — the distillation process was likely introduced to Scotland by spirit-making monks who migrated from mainland Europe in the 1200s — but you could argue they perfected it. Whether you drink it neat or in a cocktail like a Rusty Nail, or if you prefer Speyside or Islay scotch, it's a wonderful liquor, and a source of great national pride for Scotland. Heck, Kentucky and Tennessee, our national hubs for bourbon and whiskey respectively, became such major players in distillation due to an influx of Scottish immigrants settling the frontier. But if we're going to talk scotch, it's important to get the terminology straight: For instance, what's the difference between single-malt and single-grain scotch? In short, single-malt whisky comes from one grain and one distillery, while single-grain scotch, confusingly, can be made with a number of different grains.

One important thing to note is that the "single" in both of those terms refers to neither the malt nor the grain. It refers to the fact that these whiskys are made at a single distillery, rather than at a number of distilleries, as is the case with blended scotches. Single-malt scotch is made with nothing but malted barley, but single-grain scotch can be made with any number of grains, including barley, wheat, rye, and corn. Blended scotches are the most common — Johnnie Walker is a blended scotch, as is Chivas Regal — but single-malt scotches like Glenlivet and single-grain scotches like Loch Lomond are still prized.

Another difference between single-malt and single-grain scotch is the type of still used to make them. Single-malt scotches, for instance, are always made in pot stills, which (as the name implies) are shaped like big copper pots. Part of the reason they're always made that way is legal — under Scottish law, they can't be called single-malt without pot stills — but it's also because pot stills preserve the intense malty flavor that single-malts are known for. (Some other liquors often made with pot stills include Cognac and mezcal.)

Column stills, on the other hand, are used for both single-grain and blended scotches. Resembling tall architectural columns, they're much more efficient at distilling alcohol than pot stills, which can only make one batch at a time before needing to be cleaned out for the next one, and the end result tends to be smoother and more consistent. Neither option is necessarily better than the other; it's all a matter of what the distiller (as well as you, the consumer) values in your scotch whisky. (And yes, it is "whisky" when it comes to scotch, not "whiskey.")